Jenius Creations

Category: Practice

  • Quote of the week

    Typically, I see or hear things that lead me to think about everything else. This week isn’t like that! This week, the quote pretty much speaks for itself.

    We’ve talked before about the importance of being kind to yourself in your practice and in your performance. But this quote takes it another step closer to the origin of the thinking. Here’s the quote:

    “Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes.

    Art is knowing which ones to keep.” Scott Adams

    You’ll recognize the source – the creator of Dilbert. He usually has an incisive, if cynical, take, but this quote is certainly spot on – it couldn’t be more right!

    Make Mistakes

    There is an craft to making art and it stems from your own willingness to make mistakes, and then to pick up those mistakes and lick them, and keep the ones that taste good (you know, the sonic taste) as you keep going in the music.

    My early teachers who taught me two important things with respect to this, although it took me a while to appreciate these gems. The first gem was that, no matter what string you land on, you are never more than one string away from a sound you might prefer! The second nugget was that we don’t make mistakes, we make impromptu improvisations.

    For a long time, I really didn’t believe them – I thought they were being “nice” because I made so many mistakes. But over (a very long) time I learned that they weren’t just being nice – they were giving me gentle permission to make mistakes and to learn not only which ones to keep but also to learn my processes for selecting them. They were helping me to learn to do my own taste testing so I could select what worked and toss out what just didn’t speak to me. They were showing me that being willing to make “mistakes” was the point. That this was how I would make my art – by transitioning these excursions into elements of my music. That while safe was comfortable, and it might be creative, it certainly wasn’t moving my art.

    So, go make some real whoppers, some complete stinkers, some small and some large mistakes…and see what you can make of them!

  • Make yourself practice – do some good

    If I were to be honest out loud, there are more days when I have to force myself to practice than I care to admit. There are always so many other things that need to be taken care of and which require my attention. And often sitting and playing feels too decadent to be work – making it even more difficult to practice and do the work. I know many of us have this same challenge. (And we know this is different from the occasional, “I just don’t feel like practicing! <whine>” malaise we sometimes find ourselves in!)

    I recently came across a quote that is modifying my perspective on all this. This is an excerpt – it was part of a talk delivered by Karl Paulnack, Music Director of The Boston Conservatory*. I thought he made a good point – about taking ourselves seriously. He said

    Karl Paulnack our value as musicians

    “If we were a medical school, and you were here as a med student practicing appendectomies, you’d take your work very seriously because you would imagine that some night at two AM someone is going to waltz into your emergency room and you’re going to have to save their life. Well, my friends, someday at 8 PM someone is going to walk into your concert hall and bring you a mind that is confused, a heart that is overwhelmed, a soul that is weary. Whether they go out whole again will depend partly on how well you do your craft.”

    And he’s right!  There is little more rewarding than chatting with an audience member after a performance and learning that you have created an experience that touched that person very personally and specifically.

    He goes on to say more, about our value as musicians, the effect we can have, the good we can do. All of these are important – and we need to remind ourselves of these truths. No matter our level of play or our amount of experience, we have something to contribute, a good to give – and we have to work to bring our best when we are sharing.

    So, go practice – the world is counting on us to do our craft.

    * read the whole address here

  • Give it a new twist

    When you learn a new tune, there is a lot to learn and to remember. You are trying to keep a lot in mind as you play – what are the notes of the melody? What are the needed dynamics? What about the phrasing? And then there’s the accompaniment and harmonization!

    You may recall that I am a big advocate for laziness and efficiency. To that end, I try very hard to reduce the amount of stuff I have to learn, memorize, recall, and reproduce. So it becomes essential to create a set of tools that allow you to wring the most playing and performance time out of each tune you learn.

    One of my favorite tools is to stick to a basic chord progression – with a twist! What is the twist? Inversions!

    Inversions

    Not sure what an inversion is? It sounds complicated, but inversions are only a twist on a chord.  And with a little bit of practice, inversions can become second nature.

    How do you play inversions? Here’s an easy tutorial:

    1. Place a root position C major chord*. [Lost? The root position is the 1 – 3 – 5 chord with the scale name on the bottom (in our example here it is a C – E – G chord). This is the Root.]
    2. Now, twist that C off the bottom of the chord and place it on the top (so now you have a chord in the shape E – G – c) – that’s the first inversion.
    3. To move to the second inversion, take that E off the bottom and twist it to the top (so now you have a chord in the shape G – c – e) – that’s the second inversion!
    4. And, you guessed it, one more twist and you’re back to the root chord, just up an octave!

    As you play along (I know you rushed right over to your harp while you were reading!) you can hear that, while the chord is the same, each inversion is also different.  These differences meant that the inversions each give the tune a slightly different character!

    Work on your inversions – practice them so they become second nature – and use them make subtle (but easy to remember) variations to your harmonies for the tunes in your repertoire and watch your repetitions become more interesting!

    *I’m using the C major chord here but this applies to chords in any key – once you learn to do them, you can use them all over the place!

  • I’m having an affair with Seth!

    It started when I was 12. My parents introduced us. Seth and I had a rocky relationship for a long time. I was convinced that he hated me and I never really respected him. I let him stew, alone, for years.

    But recently, I developed a begrudging respect for him.  And lately, that has blossomed into a raging love affair. I have learned to love him – Seth Thomas, my metronome!

    MetronomeI had noticed that as much as I tried to ignore it, and as often as I played it, there was a tune (ok, really a set of tunes) that were just random at best. They gained momentum every time I played, and no amount of toe tapping, counting aloud, or getting dark looks from those around me seemed to help. In addition, I could never play them cleanly – there was always a mistake somewhere. And some of those mistakes were not random. Further, I love the tunes, so I really wanted to clean them up.

    Enter Seth. Now, these are reels mind you. I set Seth on the bench next to me and selected 64…for the and! Yes, that meant the tempo was 32. If you’re one of my students it has now dawned on you that this is not just something I made up to torture you – I actually made it up to torture myself! At that speed I noticed all kinds of things. First the tune totally fell apart, so I had to rebuild the tune so I could remember what came next, not just let it happen. Also, my fingers and hands were tense and not ready for what was coming. Finally, because I had played it below standard so many times, my posture was hunched while I waited for everything to come apart.

    Now, Seth sits by me, stoically, working with me (although sometimes it still feels like its against me!) to help me do the work to make the tune come out of the harp the way I hear it in my head. We’re taking it slow, me and Seth, and building a future together. I’m so glad to have Seth in my studio – it must be love!

  • Do you make your practicing harder than it needs to be?

    I’m not a neat freak. In fact, I’m not very neat at all. I sort of thrive on a little bit of a mess. But I have a very selective mess – I have sheet music piled everywhere, and music books mixed with reading books.

    clutterBut I also have a lot of bright lighting and a wide clear space for my harps, nothing on my benches and typically pencils and pens on the stand shelf. It is my kind of organized – I have what I need where I need it when I reach for it – and when I reach, I don’t knock over piles of stuff!

    How about you? What does your practice space look like? Have you made yourself a space in which to work or is your harp stuck in a corner? Can you sit and play or do you have to move a lot of things (furniture, books, shoes, etc.) to get to it so you can do your work?

    This might seem silly but actually, your workspace is important. You will not practice if you can’t get to the most important tools you need – your harp, your bench, your music! You might think you will move things out of the way and get your harp out each and every time you want to practice.  And perhaps you will, sometimes.  But few people are consistent in digging something out to use it and you are unlikely to be consistent.

    So, if you are not practicing as well, as consistently, or as regularly as you think you should, take a good hard look at the location of your practice space, your harp, and the tools of your work. Make any changes that will reduce the amount of fiddling around you have to do to get to practicing and see if you gain some consistency and improved practice! Don’t put your baby in a corner – and don’t make your practicing harder than it needs to be!

  • The notebook is a tool, not a book bag weight

    If you are taking lessons, you likely have a notebook of some kind at the request of your teacher. Many music teachers ask their students to have a notebook, but many students are not able to use these to best effect. How do you use yours?

    First, you should know that this notebook is not a diabolical plot on the part of your teacher, designed to make you crazy. Nor is it a thinly veiled means of making you buy more books you won’t use.

    Picture1

    I like to structure these notebooks to act as a communication device. The notes are not only a place to give instructions but also to start a conversation. I ask my students to write a note each day that they practice – to indicate what has gone well and what has not gone well.

    I find that the teacher’s bench is much like the doctor’s office stool – simply sitting there results in forgetting everything you meant to say! Writing in the notebook helps you to remember what you meant to bring up at your lesson so that it does not evade you when it’s time to bring it up.

    Think of the notebook as shared with your teacher. But mostly you keep it for yourself. This is where you capture your thoughts about your practice and the music as you work through it – the good, the bad, the indifferent, the incredulous, the awe and the awful! Capture it all – not only to go through the exercise of the capture but also for later review and reflection.

    Really your notebook is a journal. As with any journal, the point is to capture your progress, to find what you notice seems to be bubbling up, and to reinforce the discipline of both practicing and journaling. It will help you get more from your practice. The added benefit is that it will help you get more from your lesson. If you don’t have a notebook now (or if you always seem to “forget” yours at your lesson) get one you like and start using it now – when you try to remember what you did this week, you’ll be glad you did!

  • Don’t check out when you’re practicing

    Do you practice every day? Or nearly every day? If so, you might think you are a really good practicer.  But are you really?

    It is a good start to sit on your bench for practice time, but what do you do once you’re there? To get anything from your practice time you need to be there to work.  What sort of work do you need to do?  Well it isn’t just playing through all your tunes halfheartedly! Here are six things to include as you think about your practice:

    • Picture3Problem solve – unless you have something down perfectly, there is work to be done – the trick is to determine what needs to be done and to suss out the best way to get that work done
    • Define the work – do you partition your practice time to spend time on the aspects of playing that are important? Warming up, technique and exercises, detail on tunes you are learning, development of music you have in work, polishing and tweaking music that is learned are phases to include in your practice times.
    • Check your attitude – if you think practicing is a waste of time, it likely will be…so make sure you set your attitude to get something from the time.
    • Pay attention – be engaged with your practice and expect good performance from yourself.
    • Have a plan – know what you want to do with your practice session.
    • Work the plan – don’t just make a plan, use the plan to achieve your goals.

    Don’t practice longer than you are able.  You need to build the strength and stamina to practice for longer practice sessions – and if you don’t work your way up to it, you will be too fatigued to get anything from a longer practice session.

    Be sure to stay engaged with your practice – don’t check out when you’re on your bench!

  • Why are you practicing?

    Sometimes, especially if our playing is primarily for our own amusement or edification, we tell ourselves that we don’t have to work as hard or accomplish as much when we practice as others do.  Nothing could be farther from the truth!

    It is essential, regardless of our level of play, that we become skilled and build effective technique.  We need to have the technical skills to elicit music from our instruments and to breathe life into that music.  Pasion without technique will give you inconstant playing.  Of course, technique without passion gives you lifeless noise (but that can be left for a different post).  And our selected audiences, be they full concert halls or the curtains and the cat, deserve the best we can deliver.

    Picture2You might have heard the chestnut that only perfect practice makes perfect – and it is true! Don’t settle for nearly good enough. Make each practice session worth your time!

    You can use tools (such as the free printable log) to guide your practice so that you get more from the time.  Include repetition in practicing.  Repeat not only the individual items but also the structure so practice is also practiced.  Practicing your practicing, just like practicing a tune or practicing tuning, will make you better and stronger in less time at each practice session.   Are you practicing your practicing?

  • Printing Clarity

    Sometimes it’s the easy stuff that is so hard to do. For instance, we know that we need to practice, but we struggle to make it onto the bench regularly.

    We know that we will have a better feel for our progress if we capture the interim steps and yet, we don’t write down the details that would help us remember what was going on or understanding what has happened while we were working.

    Picture1We have a lot of reasons that we don’t mark our progress. Many of us just don’t have a good way to capture those thoughts and notes. So I developed a free printable log that you can use to track your progress. There are places to note what you’ve done.  There is also room to write down your impressions of what is going well and what you need to continue to work on.

    There is no “right” way to use this log – the point is to use it for your own growth. You can also use it during your lesson to assure you remember what you wanted to work on while you meet with your teacher or coach. It includes those things that I have found are good prompts for staying focused.

    Click on the link to download your free copy of the Practice Log printable.  Give it a try and let me know if printing this brings you clarity – if it works for you!

  • It’s what you put in

    One of the most disheartening things is when you work really hard on something and it still doesn’t come. It’s enough to make you crazy – especially if you convince yourself that it should be easy. We have all sorts of things we tell ourselves – but are we identifying the right things to improve?

    I found a quote from Eric Lindros (Hockey player for those of you who just said, “Who?!” – remember how I like to cast a wide net!), ”It’s not necessarily the amount of time you spend at practice that counts; it’s what you put into the practice.”

    How true!

    Picture2So, what do you put into your practice? Here are some things you could do to help you practice more effectively:

    1. Know what you’re doing! What is your plan? What do you need to work on? Reading? Rhythm? Fingering? Know before you sit down.
    1. Make a plan. Don’t just sit on your bench and hope for inspiration – once you know what you need to work on, plan out how you’ll work on it in this practice (of course a longer term plan will also be helpful for staying on track).
    1. Work at your own speed. Want to play that new reel at wicked speed? Do you really think you’ll be able to do that while you’re still struggling to remember what comes next? Work at a pace that allows you to think, to work through the intricacies, the hard stuff! The speed can come later.
    1. Include warm ups and exercises – these are not just drudgery. Exercises and warm ups allow you be ready to work and to develop skills and techniques that allow you to develop while working.
    1. Recognize the difference between working through and playing through. Working through is the tough work of breaking the music down so you can build it back up again.
    1. There is no one right way to practice. But you can learn a lot from teachers and other more experienced harpers – so it might be a good idea to listen!

    Put the right stuff into your practice and make it count!